Railway-track.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES R. MCFALL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO \VILLIAM L. WITWER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

RAILWAY-TRAC K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,907, dated March 3, 1903.

Application filed October 2, 1902. Serial No. 125,673. (No model.)

To all w/"wn'b'itmay concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES R. MCFALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bailway-Tracks, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relationto improvements in railway-tracks; and it consists in the novel construction of track more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a general plan of a section of thetrack. Fig. 2 is a plan view of two contiguous rails and a section of the tie supporting the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken through one of the rails on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end view of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail on line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on line 7 7 of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a transverse section on line 8 8 of Fig. 4.

The object of my invention is to construct a track which shall insure a yielding and elastic support for the rolling-stock and which will insure a noiseless passage of the wheels of the cars from one railto another, one which is durable, compact, and having maximum strength, and one possessing other and further advantages better apparent from a detailed description of the invention, which is as follows: V

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a channel-bar serving the purpose of a tie, said bar having inclined sides whose lower edges are provided with outer flanges 2, which rest directly on the bottom of the supporting saddle or plate 3, being secured by the lateral grooves or ways 4, formed on each side of the plate. The upper wall or flange 5 of each groove is provided with an opening for the reception of a locking-pin 6, whose stem enters a notch 7, formed, along the edge of the flange 2 of the tie, thus locking the latter against any longitudinal displacement or shifting in its saddle. v The rails are supported directly on the upper horizontal wall of the tie, each rail being composed of a tread 8, a web 9, and a supporting-flange 10, the adjacent ends of two contiguous rails being beveled, so that the tread of the wheel shall be partially on one rail before wholly passing ofi the other rail, and thus preventing the thumping so characteristic in the passage of the car-trucks at the joints between two rails.

In lieu of the prevailing fish-plate I sub: stitute a connecting angle-plate 11 for the full length of the rail disposed on opposite sides of the rail, the joints between two plates 11 on one side alternating with the corresponding joints on the opposite side. The plate 11 is composed of a vertical and horizontal member, the vertical member having disposed along its upper edge a flange 12, which enters a groove formed for its reception within the tread and in continuation of the outer surface of the web of the rail, the upper edge proper of the vertical member of said plate 11 serving to directly support the tread of the rail. The horizonal member of the plate 11 extends a suitable distance beyond the outer edge of the flange 10, resting directly on the tie 1 and having an upper inclined surface, as best seen in Figs. 3 and 5. The lower face of the said horizontal member is provided with a shoulder 13, against which the edge of the rail-flange directly bears. At suitable intervals between the ties the connecting-plates 11 are coupled together by means of blocks 14, which are drawn together by means of a terminal nut 15 at one end of a bolt 16, passed through the blocks below the rail.

The rails are secured to the ties by means of'rail-clamps 17, each having an inclined extension 17, resting directly on top of the horizontal member of the plate ll, whose lower edge bears against the shoulder or ledge 18, formed at the base of such extension, the opposite end of the clamp being provided with a pin 19, inserted directly into the supportingvtop wall of the tie, the body of the clamp being further provided with a locking-bolt 20, inserted upward from the inside of the channel 1, the bolt having a lower terminal head 21, the upper projecting end being provided with a passage or opening for the reception of a locking-key 22, all as fullyshown in the drawings.

By allowing a slight space between the bases of the grooves 4 of the saddle it permits the inclined sides of the tie or channel 1 to expand under a heavy load, thus imparting elasticity to the track, as is obvious. The

, rails, on the other hand, are positively and effectively connected by the plates 11 and reinforced thereby, and the latter, including the rails, are securely fastened to the ties, thus making a very strong and durable track and one requiring little or no repair, the tendency to deteriorate at the joints being reduced to a minimum.

It is of course apparent that I may depart slightly from the details herein set forth without affecting either the spirit or nature of my invention.

In addition to the advantages alreadyspecifled for the vertically-disposed beveled ends of the rails it may be stated that this arrangement allows for the free expansion of the rails under high temperatures, thereby preventing buckling under any and all circumstances.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A railway-track comprising a channel bar or tie, a saddle for the same, outwardlyextending flanges at the sides of the channelbar, flanged grooves formed in the saddle for the reception of the flanges of the channelbar, notches formed in the flanges of the channel-bar, and openings formed in the flanges of the grooves for the reception of a locking-pin, substantially as set forth.

2. A railway-track comprising a channel bar or tie, a rail having a tread, a web and a lower flange supported on said channel, angle-plates disposed along the faces of the webs and flanges of the rails respectively, the treads of the rails being supported on the upper edges of the vertical members of the angle-plates, and means for connecting the plates together below the rails, substantially as set forth.

3. A railway-track comprising a channel bar or tie, a rail having a tread, a web and a lower flange supported on said channel, angle-plates disposed along the faces of the webs and flanges of the rails respectively, a flange formed adjacent the upper edge of the vertical member of each angle-plate, corresponding grooves formed along the under surface of the treads of the rails for the reception of said flanges, and shoulders formed along the bases of the horizontal members of the angle-plates for the support of the edges of the flanges of the rails, substantially as set forth.

4. A railway-track comprising a channel bar or tie, a rail supported thereby, an augle-plate disposed on either side of the rail, the horizontal member of the an gle-plate having an upper inclined face or surface, a railclamp having an inclined extension bearing against such inclined face, a pin carried at the opposite end and entering the channelbar, a shoulder or ledge formed on the clamp for the direct support of the outer edge of the angle-plate, a bolt passed through the body of the clamp and tie, and having an opening for the reception of a suitable key above the outer face of the clamp, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES R. MOFALL.

Witnesses:

EMIL STAREK, WM. L. WITWER. 

